Follow Us
Join Us
Cast: Joel Kinneman, Wrenn Schmidt, Cynthy Wu, Coral Peña, Edi Gathegi, and Toby Kebbell
Creator: Ronald D. Moore
Director: Lukas Ettlin
Streaming On: Apple TV+
Language: English
Runtime: 10 Episodes, Around 1 hour each
For All Mankind Season 4 Review: What’s It About:
For All Mankind is a science fiction series developed by Ronald D. Moore, one of the most prolific creators in the genre, who has served as the creator of other famous shows like Outlander and Battlestar Galactica. In For All Mankind, Ronald D. Moore and his team of creatives set up the premise of a space race that never finished between the USA and the Soviet Union, thus changing the course of humanity forever. The show presents this alternate history as we follow a set of characters from multiple origins through this dangerous adventure.
For All Mankind Season 4 Review: Script Analysis:
Ronald D. Moore must be one of modern television’s most essential science fiction creators. His work has amassed thousands of fans worldwide, giving us countless hours of entertainment, and yet, none of his projects have ever reached the mainstream, with his Battlestar Galactica being the closest to do it, but also the most controversial. This makes For All Mankind an extraordinary show for Moore because even when it seems no one is watching, people are.
All Mankind is suffering from the same thing that Outlander is suffering from. These are quality TV series that keep going and being good, but they just bring enough people to keep being renewed but nothing more. Who cares? For those of us actually watching For All Mankind, Season 4 brings everything we love about the show and then some, with a seasonal plot that makes things more complicated for our protagonists even when we thought they have already accomplished so much.
In this fourth season, our characters are already on the red planet, Mars, ready to build the colony and help humanity find their path to the stars; however, being on a new world doesn’t mean that humans are different; in fact, they are all the same, and politics, betrayals, and all those emotions that mess of with logic will find the time and place to get out and ruin a lot of the progress that the main characters have achieved. The result is a season that feels full of danger, not only because our feelings are literally in hostile territory but because the human element is getting out of control.
As with Outlander, each episode of For All Mankind Season 4 feels substantial, and you definitely think that the time was well spent when, by the end of the episode, you realize that so many things have happened, something that will sway the characters’ lives to a different path. This is not to say there are no filler scenes here and there, but the story is constantly moving, even with scenes like that on the way.
For All Mankind Season 4 Review: Star Performance:
For All Mankind is a show that might look like a classic science fiction show, but unlike the novels that composed that golden era of the genre, For All Mankind has a lot more interest in the characters than in the ideas. There is a perfect balance between the two, creating a story worth following in all aspects. And so, Joel Kinnaman, an actor struggling to find his place in Hollywood, finds his most memorable role in For All Mankind. Yes, the makeup used to make him look old is not the best, but Ed Balwin needs his skills and attitude to make things work, making it attractive for the character this season as his skills begin to abandon him.
The rest of the cast also does a fantastic job, with Cynthy Wu and Coral Peña taking their characters to the limit of their moral thresholds. This is what makes good drama, and seeing each character struggling to make decisions that don’t have a clear good or bad outcome keeps us watching the show no matter what.
Trending
For All Mankind Season 4 Review: Direction & Music:
Direction in For All Mankind might be one of its most overlooked elements, but that results from being entirely consistent and never going for the showy stuff if it is unnecessary. For All Mankind actually does a lot of visual storytelling with what seems to be a very tight budget. The directors know how to make the most of what they have, and yes, sometimes some shots and some sets might not look as good as they could, but they get the job done.
Jeff Russo, a very experienced TV composer, does his best here to create pieces of music that fit the grandeur of what the characters are trying to achieve. Many pieces fall in the epic territory, but there is also good composition to highlight feelings such as regret, confusion, and anger. The score might need to be more impressive to be listened to on its own, but it does the work it was set to do when accompanied by the images.
For All Mankind Season 4 Review: Last Words:
For All Mankind is a fantastic series that, sadly, not enough people are watching, but more people should. The show might have a different production value than House of the Dragon, but it has enough to sell the show’s world and the characters’ many achievements each season. This fourth season raises the stakes and creates a beautiful scenario where human nature might be the biggest obstacle to overcome when trying to reach for the stars.
Follow Us: Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Youtube | Google News
